What I Was Missing
by ZukoFlame
Summary: After being rejected by his father, Zuko decides to help the Avatar, and ultimately, he and Katara begin to fall in love. But when it comes down to it, will he chose his duty to his nation, or to his heart? ZUTARA
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic (on this site anyway) and I really would like it if you would review. The first couple chapters of my story will be uploaded pretty fast, since I've already written them. I already have my story basically outlined, but any story suggestions will be taken into consideration. This story does not take place in between episodes, but is merely me taking the Avatar characters and storyline and making my own story about how I would make the story. So don't get too confused kay?

Disclaimer: I wish I did, but no. I don't own Avatar.

--Chapter 1: Second Thoughts

"I can't believe it. After 2 long years of searching, I finally have you, Avatar." Said Zuko as he stood on the deck of his ship with the Avatar bound in chains before him.

"You men! Take the Avatar to his prison cell. Make sure he's locked up tight. We don't want him escaping again." The men he had spoken to quickly took Aang below deck to follow the Prince's orders.

Zuko slowly walked over towards the railing and leaned over the edge, staring at his reflection in the calm ocean water. It was nighttime, but the moon accompanied by the lanterns on his ship provided some light. But, for some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off of his scar. He never cared much about his appearance, but for some reason, today, of all days, he felt almost…ashamed? He flicked his eyes up towards the night sky, trying to shake off the thought and sighed, reminding himself that he had the Avatar, and everything would be okay.

"Is something troubling you Prince Zuko?"

"No." Said Zuko harshly as he turned around to face his uncle who was drinking his tea.

"Would you care for some Ginseng tea? It will calm your nerves."

"My nerves don't need calming!" Zuko snapped, realizing he had just proved his uncle's point. He sighed again, out of annoyance, and turned back towards the ocean. Then he looked off towards the horizon, awaiting the moment he would return home again.

* * *

"Come on Appa! Can't you go any faster? Yip Yip! Please Appa, for Aang!" Pleaded Katara of the flying Bison.

"Katara, give it a rest. We've been up all night, and Appa's tired." Katara merely scowled at her brother, then turned her attention back to the map she held in her hand. They had been flying for hours. Zuko had caught them by surprise in the night and captured Aang, and they had been chasing the ship ever since. But with Appa barely going 20mph and the ship moving farther and farther away from them, it was beginning to look hopeless.

A loud growling interrupted her thoughts as she jerked her head towards Sokka, the one who had made the noise. Then it occurred to her: None of them had had dinner. Even Momo's stomach began to growl. 'Maybe we should rest for the night and find some food, then we can catch up with Zuko in the morning.' She thought to herself.

"Sokka, it says here on the map that there's a small uninhabited island nearby. Maybe we could stop there for the night. I'm sure that Zuko is headed towards the Fire Nation, and in a blue ocean he should stick out like a sore thumb. I'm taking Appa down." But the only reply she heard was the sound of Sokka snoring. The girl released a small smile, then pulled on the reins as they started to descend towards the tiny island.

* * *

The sun began to rise over the horizon, turning the sky the color of blood. The ocean mimicked that of the sky, borrowing the hues and colors and reflecting them off of their surface. Dawn was breaking in the Fire Nation and Zuko hadn't slept all night. He was much too anxious and excited. He was tired, yes. But too much anticipation had welled up inside of him to fall asleep. He paced the deck of the ship, thinking of what he should say, and how he should present himself to his father. After all, he hadn't seen him in over two years. Imagine the look on his father's face when he would see him enter the room, Avatar in chains. His father would welcome him with open arms.

Zuko continued to think on these things, and didn't notice when his uncle came outside and took a seat. So he was startled when he spoke.

"Excited?" Zuko jumped, turned around, and looked at his uncle. How did he always know what he was thinking? "You look tired. You should get some rest."

"I will rest in my own bed at home. " Zuko said slowly, emphasizing how serious he was.

"Zuko, I would not get my hopes up too high. Your father is not very well known for keeping his word." Zuko furrowed his eyebrows together; surprised his Uncle would suggest such a thing.

"Are you suggesting that my father won't accept me back?" Said Zuko with growing rage. His uncle was not going to be the one to ruin his one chance in life of success. Iroh sighed before speaking.

"I just don't want you to get your hopes up too high. I know you have the Avatar, and that is an accomplishment in itself. But to your father, I am not so sure it will make a difference." Iroh stroked his beard, and dared to ask the question he had wanted to ask his nephew for 2 years. "Do you know why your father sent you on this mission?" The Prince stared at his uncle in disbelief, and gave him what he thought was the obvious answer.

"To give me a chance to regain my honor!"

"But Zuko, what you fail to realize is that you never lost it!"

"Then what's this!" Zuko pointed angrily to his scar, breathing heavily.

"_That_ is nothing to be ashamed of. Your father was wrong to banish you, and when he did, I know that he did it not expecting you to come back. The Avatar was missing for 100 years! My brother is not a fool. If he really wanted you back he would not have given such a hopeless-"

"SHUT UP!" Iroh looked at his nephew hurtfully, and lowered his head. He had probably said too much, but they were words the Prince needed to hear.

Zuko gave his uncle a cold look, then stormed off the deck and slammed the door, leaving his uncle sitting on the deck alone. Iroh knew Zuko had gone to get some sleep, but knew the prince was too proud to admit it. Then Iroh shook his head and sighed.

Zuko stormed down the hallway to get to his chamber, knocking down several crewmembers on his way. (Pushed them down really) He lay down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. What did his uncle mean by ignorant? His father's words were plain enough. Capture the Avatar and you can come home. He didn't realize what the big fuss was over. He had the Avatar so now he could return to the palace. Why wouldn't his father keep his word? Zuko was his loyal son, He did what his father asked, and now expected to be brought back from exile.

But still, something inside of him doubted his father. When had his uncle been wrong when it was important? His father was his uncle's brother; he of all people should have known Ozai's motives. But then again, he was his _son_. Zuko groaned in frustration. This was too confusing. His father _would_ accept him back. His uncle was just too overprotective. He just didn't want his nephew to get hurt. That was understandable, but there was nothing to worry about. He had confidence in his father. Perhaps by capturing the Avatar he could earn his father's respect.

Zuko thought on thing things until he slowly drifted to sleep, taking his uncle's advice for once.

* * *

Katara and Sokka set up camp on the island. It seemed to be uninhabited other than a few rabbits and squirrels, so it was very quiet and peaceful. Dawn began to break on the tiny island, and Katara awoke to the sound of Momo chasing a squirrel for a nut.

"Here Momo." Said Katara as she groggily tossed the lemur their last piece of bread. She stalked over to Sokka and shook him awake, then the two rolled up their sleeping bags and went into the forest to find something to eat.

Katara rolled her eyes as she looked over to Sokka who had his boomerang in one hand and his knife in the other, jumping at every little noise he heard. 'There goes Sokka, my paranoid brother…' thought Katara. Sokka snuck up on a rabbit, and held his boomerang ready to strike.

"Watch and learn Katara." Sokka whispered. Katara rolled her eyes and smirked, ready for Sokka's "Demonstration of Manliness." Sokka threw the boomerang at the rabbit, but it hit a tree, bounced off, and hit Sokka in the head.

"OW!" Sokka clutched his head and Katara giggled in amusement as the rabbit scurried away.

"Well I'm watching, but I'm not learning." Katara said with another giggle.

"Oh yeah? Well I'd like to see you try and catch one!"

"All right I will." Katara retorted with confidence as she grabbed Sokka's knife. The bushes started to rustle as she prepared herself to catch whatever unlucky animal happened to emerge from the bush. But it wasn't a rabbit that came out of the bushes. Katara gasped, while Sokka readied his boomerang.

"Where is the Avatar?" demanded Azula. "I am Princess Azula of the fire Nation and I demand you tell me where he is. If you do, I will spare you."

"Never!" Said Katara.

She bended the water out of her water flask and whipped Azula in the face. Then they ran. It was a small island, but large enough to get lost in. Sokka was following Katara, who was running towards a lake she had discovered earlier. That way she had something to waterbend when that Azula girl came to find them.

And sure enough Azula had come to find them and was gaining fast. She was very furious. It seemed the girl had a worse temper than her brother.

"Tell me where the Avatar is!" She hurled blue flames at Katara, who bended some water out of the lake and extinguished the fire, leaving a mist separating her and her brother from Azula.

"Zuko kidnapped him!" yelled Katara.

"You liar! My brother could never accomplish such a feat."

"Well he did. And even if we did know where he was we still wouldn't tell you!" Sokka retorted as he threw his boomerang at Azula, outraged that she was Zuko's sister. But Azula grabbed it, then smiled.

"I am a master firebender. You cannot hope to defeat me!"

"We'll see about that!" Katara shouted as she created a giant wave. She pushed the water onto Azula, and then froze it with her breath, encasing Azula in ice.

"We have to leave before she gets out!" warned Katara as she grabbed Sokka by his arm and started running towards Appa and Momo on the beach.

"My boomerang!"

"We have to leave Sokka! Now!" Sokka reluctantly continued but took one last look only to see that Azula's crew and come and was melting he ice encasing her.

"They're melting the ice!" Sokka cried.

"Then let's hurry!" She said as she started climbing onto Appa. But Sokka stopped as he spotted Azula's ship.

"I have an idea! Tell Appa to follow us!" Sokka ordered as he ran up to Azula's ship. "We're taking her ship!" Sokka ran onto the deck, with Katara following as soon as she gave Appa the orders. The crew wasn't there, so they could take the ship, but they would have to steer it for themselves.

With one swift waterbending move the ship was off to sea.

"My ship!" yelled Azula as she started to come into view with the crew following close behind. But it was too late. The ship was too far off the coastline with Appa flying high in the sky following. Azula hurled a barrage of flames at the bison in a futile attempt at revenge. The flames couldn't even reach Appa, which made her even more furious. Sokka laughed at the girl, and then turned the ship towards the west in the direction of the fire nation.

Azula then smiled (evilly might I add) causing her crew to worry.

"Princess Azula, you do realize we are stranded on this island. Correct?" Azula turned around to face the man who had spoken.

"I suppose you don't realize to whom you are questioning. Perhaps you require some DICIPLINE!" Azula said as she raised her fists, which were on fire.

"Oh no Princess Azula! I-I didn't mean it that way! Please forgive me!" The man pleaded as he got down on his knees and begged.

"Don't worry. You will not be punished. Now, anyway…now, Mr. Xian, do you realize this island is in fire nation waters?"

"Yes but—"

"And did you know that this particular island was used to house weapons for my great grandfather when the war first began and that there are weapons stored all over this island?"

"Of course but I don't see how-"

"AND, that since it was an ISLAND, there were boats on this island so they could transport their weapons!"

"But they would have-"

"My grandfather was not an idiot you fool! There are boats hidden all over this island full of explosives! All you have to do is LOOK FOR THEM!" The crew backed up a few feet, obviously frightened by the Princess's outburst.

"That goes for all of you! Start searching!"

"How will we find the boat?" Said the helmsmen. He was obviously quite foolish.

"Burn down everything in your path! Dig up the ground! Whatever it takes to find a ship! We are leaving this island by noon. And Agni help you if you haven't found one by then." Azula said. "You aren't going to bring the avatar to father first. You can count on that Zuzu." Azula said quietly, as she continued to bark some more orders at her crew.

* * *

"Prince Zuko, we have arrived." Zuko opened his eyes to find his uncle standing in the doorway. Zuko quickly sat up and got dressed, then he and his uncle started up towards the deck. Zuko walked up to the railing and stared at the slowly approaching land. They were about a half a mile away from the docking ports.

"Lutenent Jee, get ready to set anchor. And you men, bring the Avatar to me." At this the men in his command went below deck to follow orders.

Zuko remained transfixed staring at the land he had once called home. There was a docking port full of people and commotion, then, beyond that were a few acres of countryside, and then the great capital city of Kasai shi (A/N: It's Japanese for Fire city….I looked it up…he he...) in the center of the great city was the palace. It was the largest of all the other buildings and was by far the most magnificent. It was crafted in the traditional style of Oriental architect, but it was much larger. The rims were painted gold with a read roof and a fire nation flag, a symbol of his nation's triumph. This was his home. And now he could finally come back.

The metal door opening and the Avatar being led out by two soldiers interrupted his thoughts. The Avatar's hands were tied around his back, and chains bound his feet. His mouth was covered up with a handkerchief so he couldn't blow any sudden gusts of wind in hope of escape. His eyes were sullen, his energy drained. It had been two days, and Katara and Sokka still hadn't come.

"Look, Avatar." The Prince said as he pointed to the land that lay before them. "This is the Fire Nation. And that is where you will meet my father Firelord Ozai." Zuko pointed to the palace.

"I'll warn you. My father is very strict, and will show you no mercy." The crew shifted their glance towards his scar, and Zuko knew it. "But don't worry. He won't kill you, he'll just keep you locked up so you can't reincarnate into the next nation. I don't have anything against you personally, and I'd rather it didn't have to be this way. But…it is. That's just how the world works." After a long pause Zuko ordered the men to set down the gangplank, and they started to descend from the ship. Zuko was first, then his uncle, then the Avatar heavily guarded by the ship crew. They were in the docking harbor, and received odd stares from the people. Some started pointing at Zuko and murmuring, but when the Avatar came into view, the people fell silent, expressions of amazement frozen on their faces. The banished Prince had actually done it. After 2 years of searching, he had finally captured the Avatar.

As Zuko started to move through the crowd, the people hurriedly moved out of the way and got down on their knees to genuflect to their returning Prince. Even his uncle bowed in respect. Now that his nephew was a Prince again, he was technically higher in status than he. Zuko was surprised, for he had forgotten what it was like to be treated as royalty. Once they were at the entry to the palace, they were stopped by two guards.

"State your business."

"That is not your concern. I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne. So let me pass."

"Ex-Prince. Remember? You have no business here. You were banished. So leave in peace before I tell the Firelord and have you put in prison."

"No! I have completed my task! I have the Avatar! You _will_ let me in!" Zuko received a long stare from the guards, who seemed unconvinced. So Zuko cocked his head to the side and gestured for his crew to reveal his prisoner. They stepped forward to reveal Aang, who was being grasped by either shoulder. The guards gasped, then quickly stepped away from the doors, unlatched them, and allowed Zuko and his crew to enter.

Zuko stopped and stared. It was exactly the way he remembered it. They hallways were painted red, and lit by torches that lined the corridors, giving it that reddish glow. The carpets were made of silk and dyed the color of blood, and decorated with the Fire Nation insignia. The smell was of incense and smoke, and lined along the walls were portraits of past Firelords. And someday, Zuko thought to himself, his portrait would be up there as well.

It had been so long since he had been home, and now all of his memories were coming back to him. He must have been standing there for over a minute when his uncle walked up to him and put his hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"I'm glad to be home too." Zuko was startled by this, and snapped out his trance with a jerk. One of the guards had come inside to escort them to the Firelord and was leading the way.

"This way." Zuko very well knew his way around the palace, but let the guard guide them regardless. They stopped at a pair of double doors, then the guard spoke.  
"Wait here. I will let the Firelord know we have visitors." After saying this he entered the war room. The war room… Zuko wasn't so sure he wanted to go back in there again. The memories began to flood back to him about his scarring and…

"Zuko?" Iroh said softly as he turned towards his troubled nephew. He glanced at the doors and realized what was troubling him. "Oh. Don't worry my nephew. This should be a happy day for you. Do not cloud it with things of the past." Zuko looked hopefully at his uncle, and was surprised he wasn't talking about how his father wouldn't accept him back and all. It made him worry a little though.

The door opened and the guard stuck his head through the door.

"He seems to be in a bad mood today. Perhaps a later time."

"No. Once he knows I have the Avatar he will understand. I'm going in." Said Zuko as he brushed passed the guard.

"Zuko wai-" Iroh sighed then followed his nephew in, gesturing for the crew to do the same. Iroh could already tell that things were NOT going to be pretty.

Sorry to leave you guys hanging again. This chapter was originally supposed to end after Zuko's confrontation with his father, but It was taking to long to type it all, and I thought I would just end it here, cause I hate suspense too. Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here it is guys! Chapter 2. Hope you like it! I am hoping it turns out longer than my other chapters, cause when I wrote it on paper, this chapter's supposed to be about 10-11 pages…anyway, enjoy the story! **

Disclaimer: A 12 year old who lives in an apartment in NJ owning Avatar…what a joke...

--Chapter 3: Disappointment

Zuko was first into the war room, then his uncle, and then the crew, who were guarding the Avatar. Zuko made sure to keep him hidden, to surprise his father. His father was on his throne, and all of the generals and commanders were seated around a map of the earth Kingdom planning battle strategies. But they all fell silent when Zuko entered.

"What is this!" Bellowed Ozai. His voice was full of anger, and the fire surrounding his throne thickened.

"It is I, your loyal son, Zuko." Zuko took a bow, and so did his crew. His Uncle didn't even flinch. His normally cheerful face was full of regret and anger. He feared Ozai wouldn't accept Zuko back. Zuko would be devastated. But there was always that chance that his brother had changed.

"You were banished! Why have you returned!" The fire around him grew larger and hotter, and Zuko could feel the heat waves brush across his face. Oh how Zuko had feared his father. But his father would keep his promise. He had to. Once his father saw the Avatar, everything would be okay.

"Father. I have completed my task. I have the Avatar!" The generals and commanders that had been seated around the table in the room started murmuring and arguing at Zuko's brash statement. Ozai raised his hand to silence the men, then stroked his chin in thought.

"Reveal him." Ozai said, still deep in thought. The crew stepped forward, and pushed the Avatar is front of them, forcing Aang to his knees. Zuko struggled to see Ozai's expression, but his face was silhouetted in darkness. The men in the room gasped, but Ozai said not a word. He was silent for over a minute, then spoke.

"You men, over there. Bring the Avatar to the prison cells. Make sure nothing can get in or out." The men he had pointed to bowed in respect, and took the captive away.

"You men may go your way." The men he had spoken to (Zuko's former crew) eagerly followed orders. They could finally see their families again. "Zuko and Iroh. You stay."

As soon as the other men left the room, Zuko spoke.

"I have brought you the Avatar. I am ready to be accepted back into you kingdom. " Zuko took a bow, then stood upright waiting for a reply.

"You are a fool to believe that you would be accepted back into the Fire Nation. You are still weak and pathetic. By refusing to fight me you showed shame and disrespect. No Avatar could ever bring that back." Zuko's eyes widened. He wasn't hearing this. He wasn't. He-he couldn't be.

"I sent you on this mission to get rid of you. Not to see you succeed and to welcome you back with open arms. You are still a disgrace in my eyes, and in the eyes of you people."

Zuko was rendered speechless. He looked towards the ground. His Uncle was right. He was always right. He was just too full of pride to admit it. He could never accept the fact that his father didn't want him. And now his father was telling him right to his face.

"That isn't true Ozai!" Said Zuko's Uncle as he stepped in front of his nephew. "How can you treat your son this way?"

"It is not your place to say anything regarding the boy. He is my son and I will treat him how I wish and I will discipline him when I feel necessary."

"But he does not require any discipline!"

"You will not tell me how to father my son! I am doing what is best for my country! Azula is a much better candidate to rule and I will NOT jeopardize this Nation!" Ozai stood up from his throne in anger as he spoke.

"What about what is best for your son!"

"I KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR MY SON!" Those words echoed throughout the room for a while, allowing them to sink in. After what seemed like over he minute, he spoke again.

"He needs to learn respect and discipline, and if suffering is the only way that it will get through to him…then so be it."

"Ozai! I believe Zuko has suffered enough!"

"You WILL learn your place brother! Step down! Your sympathy for the boy is in vain. His mother felt the same way about the child, but in the end it turned out to be vain as well. She died giving her life for him-"

"What!" Yelled Zuko as he angrily looked up at his father with teary eyes. "What did you do to her!" Zuko started to run up to his father, but Iroh held him back.

"Zuko stop it!"

"Let-me-GO!" Zuko said as he struggled to get out of his Uncle's grip, but his Uncle was too strong.

"I did nothing to your mother! It was out of my control. I just can't understand why a sensible lady such as my wife would give her life for yours!" Ozai spat as he walked down his throne up to Zuko. Zuko stopped struggling and looked up at his father.

"You didn't deserve her." Zuko said softly as he looked towards the ground. Ozai's eyes widened at Zuko's comment, obviously outraged. Ozai grabbed Zuko's left arm and twisted it around his back, causing Zuko to scream in pain.

"You still haven't learned your lesson! That scar didn't quite get it to your head did it! I gave you that as a reminder of your shame and weakness as a son! You refused to fight me and therefore I banished you! Suffering hasn't taught you anything!" Ozai gripped Zuko's arm tighter, and heat radiated from his body burning Zuko's skin. Tears started to roll down his face, but were evaporated by the heat escaping Ozai's body.

"The penalty for disrespecting the Firelord is death, and you are no exception!" Ozai raised his hand to summon fire to finish off Zuko, but before he could strike, Iroh deflected the fire right into Ozai's face, rendering him unconscious. Zuko fell to the ground as Ozai let go of Zuko's arm, but Iroh quickly got him up. The generals and commanders got up from where they sat; ready to destroy the man who had left their leader unconscious.

Zuko was still in shock of what his father had just told him. Hadn't he suffered enough? Were the two years at sea nothing to his father? All the time he spent meditating and training. Was it all in vain? And his mother! He had never known what happened to her. He had even hoped that she was still alive after all these years. But his father had just said that she had died trying to save his life. So many things were being revealed to him in such little time. It was overwhelming.

Iroh sent a large ring of fire pushing all of the men out of the way, sending them flying in all directions.

"Run Zuko!" Iroh quickly grabbed Zuko's right hand and they ran out of the war room into the hallway.

"Get them!" Zuko heard one of the Generals say as a group of soldiers started to chase them down the corridor. Zuko and Iroh ran faster, winding down hallways going up and down stairs, trying to avoid the soldiers. As they were about to turn a corner, they saw shadows of soldiers coming their way, and quickly turned they other way and started running the other direction. But they heard more soldiers coming towards them in that direction too.

The soldiers turned the corner to find an empty hallway. The men scratched their heads, and started going in a different direction.

Zuko and Iroh crawled through the air vents, directly above the soldiers, trying to be as quiet as possible. Zuko's arm was paining him horribly since he was forced to crawl on it, but was trying hard not to show it.

"I didn't know that the palace had air vents." Zuko whispered.

"Of course they do. Or else the smoke from the fire would make everyone suffocate. And if I'm not mistaken, these vents will lead us right out of the palace." And sure enough, the vents led outside. The two jumped out and fell in to the grass, then quickly jumped up and ran into the forest, which was about a half a mile away. Once they were sure they were far enough into the forest, they collapsed in the grass out of breath. Zuko sat up and turned away from his Uncle, too ashamed to show his face.

"You were right Uncle, right about everything. Father never wanted me back. I'm just a failure."

"Zuko. You are not a failure!" Iroh said, surprised at his nephew's statement.

"Oh really? Tell me one thing I've succeeded at ever since I was banished! I failed at capturing the Avatar, I failed at mastering firebending, and now I just found out I'm the reason for my mother's death!"

"Zuko, you are as good a firebender as anybody."

"But just look at my sister! A firebending prodigy! And she never even tried! She didn't have to! And father still liked her best!"

"You don't have to prove anything to your father Zuko. He doesn't deserve a great son like you. Don't be so discouraged."

"DON'T BE DISCOURAGED! CUT THE CRAP UNCLE! My father will win this war, Azula will succeed him, and there's nothing we can do about it!"

"Don't talk that way Zuko!" Iroh put his hand on Zuko shoulder, but Zuko shrugged it off. "Why are you giving up so easily?"

"Easily? You think I haven't tried! You think everything came easy to me! What's this!" Zuko yelled as he angrily pointed to his scar. His eyes were one again welling up with tears, as he fought to hold them back. "I lost it all." Zuko's tone became softer, and more full of emotion. "And I can never get it back."

"Zuko." Iroh put his hand on Zuko's shoulder, and this time Zuko didn't shrug it off.

"You may gain your throne yet and end his war. But you cannot do it alone. It would take an army to stop your father. Or…an Avatar." Zuko looked at his uncle with confusion at this proposition.

"Are you suggesting that I help the Avatar?" Zuko questioned, replacing his anger with confusion.

"It is destiny. The Avatar must master the elements and unite the world in harmony. How else can he do that without defeating your father and ending this war?"

"You mean kill him." Zuko said softly.

"You still feel compassion for him?"

"I don't know. It just feels wrong. Like I'm betraying my country."

"Your country betrayed the world. Lives are at stake here. The fire nation has gone too far. This war must be stopped." Iroh looked upon his nephew, who was deep in thought. He glanced at Zuko's arm, which was bleeding badly. He had forgotten about his injury.

"Zuko. Your arm." Zuko looked at his Uncle and their eyes locked, and it was as if Iroh could feel for one brief moment what his nephew was going through. Zuko slowly handed Iroh his arm, who tore off a piece of cloth from his garment and started wrapping his arm. Iroh didn't even look at Zuko's arm. He didn't want to. It would only make him feel worse. After Iroh was finished, He and Zuko lay on the grass and tried to fall asleep.

"Tomorrow we will go to the palace and rescue the Avatar. But for now Zuko, get some rest." But Zuko didn't hear, for he was already asleep.

**Well there you go! My second chapter! Hope you all liked it. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Well, sorry it took so long, but I had sort of a writer's block. I could've written, but I don't wanna write crap. I'd rather take my time and give you guys a good chappie. Also school's starting on Thursday, so I may not be able to update soon anymore...sorry! Anyway, I don't have much else to say...so go ahead and read!

Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar I would be writing episodes, not fanfiction!

Azula was growing impatient and at this point was quite irritable. So, naturally she took her anger out on the crew.

"Come on! Put your backs into it! I want a ship and I want it NOW!" It was well past noon and of course a few members of her crew had attained quite an array of injuries from her fiery temper. Things were not looking good for the Fire Nation's heir.

"Princess Azula! I think we found something!" Cried the helmsmen as he came running up to Azula, sweaty and covered in dirt.

"What exactly have you found?" Said Azula with growing interest.

"It looks like the bow of a ship but I'm not sure."

"Well dig it up you fool!" Azula yelled at the man as she turned her attention to the rest of her crew.

"Everyone stop digging!" Azula yelled to get the attention of the men who had dug multiple holes in the island's surface. "Everyone listen up! I want all of you to head to the area where Mr. Gee thinks he found a ship! We are riding that thing out if here in ONE hour. Understand!"

An assortment of "yeses" and "yes your highness" were the responses of the crew as they all hurried to follow the man who had found the ship. Azula turned to face the ocean as she smiled evilly.

"Better watch out young Avatar. Your time is running out." Azula said softly to herself. Then she quickly turned around and started barking more orders at her crew.

"I think I see something!" Said Sokka as he squinted to see the hazy figure in the distance he assumed was land.

"Wait! I think I see it too!" Katara said excitedly as she steered the boat towards the great land mass. "Sokka, according to the map, that's the fire nation."

"So, we're finally here." Said Sokka quietly. A long silence followed before Sokka spoke.

"Wait I just thought of something. How are we going to disguise a 10-ton flying bison?" Katara looked nervously at her brother, and then forced herself to speak. Here they had come so far, and they hadn't even thought of how to hide Appa.

"Well, I...um...actually I never thought of that." Katara admitted with a shrug. Sokka moaned with frustration at Katara's confession.

"Then what are we gonna do? They'll definitely spot him, and then there goes our element of surprise!" Said Sokka as he waved his hands in the air franticly.

"Look Sokka. All we have to do is hide him. They'll never know." Said Katara reassuringly. She was the responsible one. She had to think of something.

"Listen to yourself Katara. Where are we going to hide him! I mean it's not like a forest is just gonna pop up out of no where and be big enough to hide him and be right next to the palace."

"Actually Sokka that's exactly where we're going to hide him." Said Katara as she smiled confidently. Sokka turned around to see what she was looking at to find the palace slowly coming into view with a cluster of green to the left of it.

"I hate how ironic this is." Sokka mumbled as he crossed his arms.

"I'll go tell Appa to fly towards the trees so take the wheel." Said Katara as she handed Sokka the steering wheel.

When Katara retuned to take back the wheel, Sokka started an argument about how captains are men and that sort of thing—Just an excuse to keep control of the boat. But he finally gave in after she threatened to bend he water unto the ship and flood his bedroom. Once Katara had the wheel, they headed towards the docking ports. The ship was Azula's so that shouldn't have aroused any suspicion; however there could have been wanted posters anywhere, so they still had to keep out of sight.

"Okay Sokka just act natural." Said Katara as they walked down the plank.

"Sure thing Katara." Whispered Sokka to his younger sister. But she could tell he was just going to make a fool of himself.

Sokka walked up to a fire Navy Solider and leaned up against a crate and attempted to start a conversation.

"So! You're from the fire Nation!" He said with enthusiasm, but he only received an odd stare from the man as a reply. "Yah know, I'm from the Fire Nation myself." Katara put her face in her hands and moaned at her brother's stupidity. He was sure to reveal them at this rate.

Katara ran up to the man and pushed her brother out of the way knocking him to the ground.

"OW!"

"I'm sorry if my brother has been bothering you. He has a mental illness."

"WHAT!" Said Sokka angrily.

"Yes, he's a bit of a retard." She said and she twirled her finger around her ear symbolizing that he was crazy.

"I could tell..." Said the man under his breath.

"Okay you just crossed the line! No body insults me like that and gets away with it!" Said Sokka as he lunged towards the man. Then it started. Sokka was biting and scratching, while the man held on to Sokka's little pony tail. They were grappling on the floor, and it was quite a scene. Katara tried to break up the fight, but all it got her has a bite on the arm.

"Hey you guys stop fighting!" Yelled Katara helplessly. They were at the port, so she could always waterbend to break up the fight, but then they would be discovered.

"Let-go-of-my-hair!" Said Sokka as he struggled to get out of the man's grip.

"Well if you don't let go, I'll just make sure you don't have any kids!" Said Sokka as he kneed the man in his groin.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHGGG" Cried the man as he clutched his private area. He let go of Sokka, who got up from the ground. But the man wasn't finished yet. He grabbed Sokka's leg and pulled his back to the ground, in an effort to get even.

"Oh no you don't!" Said Katara as she kicked the man in the face. He let go of Sokka's leg, who quickly scrambled to his feet. His clothes were ripped to shreds, but he was as confident as ever as he smiled menacingly at the man.

"That's what you get when you mess with the water tribe!" everyone in the port stopped dead in their tracks and looked at the boy and his sister. Katara looked angrily at her brother and slapped him across the head, as the man who they had just beat up got to his feat, and the fire Navy soldiers who were at the port started to circle to two.

"Good morning Prince Zuko!" Iroh said cheerfully as he got up to greet the morning sun. But Zuko was already awake and had started a fire. He was silently poking it, not even fully aware of what his uncle had said.

"Prince Zuko are you alright?" Although the answer was obvious. But none the less He took a seat next to his nephew and waited for a reply.

"Why do call me that?" Zuko said softly.

"What?" Questioned his Uncle, not fully understanding the question.

"Why do you call me Prince Zuko? You heard what my father said. I'm not a Prince anymore. I'm not his son anymore." Iroh sighed and thought about how to answer the question, because the wrong answer could make Zuko feel even worse.

"I don't care what your father says. You'll always be a prince to me." (A/N Okay yes this line is from Aladdin but oh well. It fits.) He said as he put his hand on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko was silent for the longest time, but Iroh didn't attempt to question him further. He wondered what his nephew was thinking about though. Was it his mother? His father? Him?...well, he wouldn't bother his nephew about those things. He would never force him to talk about things he didn't want to talk about. If Zuko wanted to talk, he would listen, and maybe that's why they were so close. He had always been there for his nephew, and Zuko let him feel what it was like to have a son again. And if Ozai didn't want Zuko as a son, then he would be his parent.

"Zuko, I think it's time we left for the palace. We'll have to rescue the Avatar before it's too late."

"What's the point?" Zuko questioned angrily.

"We help the Avatar and then what? We'll be even more wanted than ever before. The Avatar hasn't even started earth or fire, and you expect us to all band together and defeat my father and Then I become firelord? Well guess what? Since when has anything ever gone in my favor ever in my life! You suddenly think my luck is going to change and that I'll get what I want! No!" Said Zuko as he kicked a tree, which started to sizzle due to the immense heat that had escaped from his body.

Iroh was speechless. He didn't really know what to say. He was supposed to be the wise and all knowing uncle—The one who always said the right thing at the right time and always managed to make people feel better. But he had never seen his nephew so...depressed, and angry. Sure he had seen him angry, he was angry all the time. But this type of anger was different. He wasn't angry at his crew, the Avatar, his sister of even him. He was angry at himself.

This of all things surprised him. His nephew was always so full of confidence and never gave up. Perhaps it was all a false front. Perhaps he really was doubtful that he would come home, or that he would catch the Avatar. Maybe it was all just for show—Just to hide his true feelings. He was just a teenager traveling the world searching for his father's love. And now that his father rejected him, he was hurt. He had been trying to act brave, but now Iroh could realized that Zuko hid all of his emotions behind his anger. So he expected what Zuko did next.

Zuko slid down the tree and put his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them. His back was facing Iroh, but his Uncle could still see his shoulders quiver as he sobbed silently. Iroh bit his lip for a moment before walking over to Zuko. He sat down next to him and hugged him, but what surprised him was that Zuko didn't push him off. Iroh hugged him tighter as he whispered words of reassurance to his troubled nephew.

"Now what?" Katara whispered half to herself and half to her brother as the soldiers started to close in on them.

"I don't know." whispered Sokka sarcastically. "I'm a bit of a retard, remember?"

"Shut up Sokka. If you hadn't been so stupid in the first place-"

"Stupid! You said to 'act natural' miss bossy!" Said Sokka raising his voice a bit.

"I don't have time for this. Duck!" Said Katara as she lifted up her hands summoning the water from the ocean into gigantic wave. But Sokka was facing the other way and didn't notice the great amount of water building up behind him.

"Oh, so now I'm a duck!" Sokka said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"No! Duck!" Yelled Katara but it was too late.

"What?" Yelled Sokka as he turned around to see a giant wave hurtling towards him.

"Mommy!" Sokka whispered in a high voice as the water engulfed him as well as all of the fire navy soldiers. Katara was riding the wave as it moved inland. She saw a little pony tail sticking up out of the water then grabbed it, pulling Sokka to his feet.

"Hold on!" Said Katara as the wave started crashing down towards land.

"Hold on to WHAAAAAAAAAAA!" Sokka didn't have time to finish his sentence as he and Katara pummeled off of the wave and landed into grass (well, mud actually) as the wave disintegrated into an array of puddles and mud. Once the two caught their breath, Sokka was the first to speak.

"If that wasn't the most-"

"Not now Sokka!" Said Katara as she pulled him to his feet and started to run, forcing Sokka to run to keep up with her. Sokka looked behind him to find that the fallen soldiers had recovered and were hot on their trail, with no more than about 15 meters separating them. Fortunately all that armor was weighing them down, along with the water, so pretty soon they were only a speck in the distance.

Katara and Sokka ran around to the side of the palace, and were surprised to find an air vent, large enough to crawl through. Katara and Sokka glanced at each other and nodded, and soon they were crawling through the ventilation system, searching for the prison hold.

Zuko put out the fire, and together the two started to put away camp. After Zuko's sudden display of emotions, Iroh had somehow convinced Zuko to go and help the avatar with him. Once they were finished, they started walking out of the forest.

"Do you have a plan?" questioned Zuko of his uncle.

"Nope."

"Great." Zuko said sarcastically.

'Well, at least Zuko's back to himself.' Iroh thought as they continued through the forest. They were silent for the longest time, until finally Zuko spoke.

"What-" Iroh looked at his nephew, waiting for him to continue.

"What happened to my mother?" Zuko looked at the ground, as if afraid to meet his uncle's eyes.

"I knew you would ask me this." Iroh sighed as he put his hands in his sleeves.

"It is not a tale I like telling, but it is one you should hear." Zuko looked sorrowfully at his uncle, knowing the worst was yet to come.

"My father, Fire Lord Azulon, was angry at my brother, for suggesting that he be made heir instead of me. As punishment, he would have to lose his son. He would have to kill you, Zuko." Zuko's eyes widened for a moment, as he remembered what his sister had said years ago.

"So she wasn't lying after all." Zuko whispered softly.

"Hn?" Asked Zuko's Uncle. curious as to what his nephew had said.

"Nothing." Said the teenager as he looked at his feet.

"Well, of course this didn't sit well with your mother, and, well..."

"Well what!"

"She offered to take your place instead." A tear ran down Iroh's cheek as he remebered his sweet sister in law. They had been close as well.

Zuko froze. He was overcome with anger, guilt, and...confusion. His mother had loved him that much? To give her life for his? And in a way he felt guilty. Was he worth her sacrifice? He had been an arrogant Prince who cared nothing for anyone else but himself and capturing the Avatar. His father was right. Why would an honorable lady such as his mother give her life for someone like him?

"Zuko?" Iroh whispered as he looked at his nephew. A tear rolled down Zuko's cheek, but he quickly wiped it off with the back of his hand. He wouldn't cry like some poor baby who lost his mother. He would be strong and determined. He was his mother's son, a fighter till the end. And he would never forget that. He would never forget who he was.

"I'll never forget who I am uncle. Believe it."(A/N: I was watching Naruto...it kinda fits though right?) Iroh smiled at Zuko, and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go Uncle." Said Zuko with confidence. And at that they headed out of the forest and towards the palace.

Well there ya go. I gotta say I enjoyed writing this chapter. I love writing dialogue between Zuko and his uncle. It's just so unpredictable. It was also fun to write the part with Sokka and Katara. Retard...he he... Anyways, if you liked this chappie or even if you don't and want to give constructive criticism, please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Here's chapter 4! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I will never own avatar._ Sigh_

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Zuko and Iroh were out of the forest now, and were heading for the side of the palace where the air vents led outside so they could enter using them. But when they arrived at the site, they found the vent bolted shut.

"What!" Zuko yelled as he pounded the vent with his fist angrily.

"It appears my brother's men have figured out how we escaped and decided to close it off." He said as he stroked his beard.

"Well then let's open it!" Said Zuko as he prepared to melt the bolts.

"No Zuko!" Iroh interjected as he put his hand out, grabbing Zuko's foot to stop the blow. "If you use firebending not only will they spot us, but the smoke in the vents caused by your bending will choke you." Zuko held back reluctantly with a scowl and folded his arms.

"The how do you suppose we get in?"

"We will simply have to find another way."

"Pray tell Uncle." Said a very agitated Zuko.

"Wait a minute." Said Uncle as he pushed Zuko to the ground and crouched up against a wall.

"What-"

"Shh!" Iroh whispered as he pointed to some men who were loading some supplies into a cellar that was attached to the palace. Zuko and Iroh looked at each other and nodded as they slowly crept up towards their targets. Zuko did a swift blow to the head to one man, as Iroh did the same to the other two. Zuko and Iroh stuffed the bodies into a corner in the cellar, then quietly crept up the cellar stairs and then into the palace. They stayed together completely silent.

Thankfully there was no one in the hallway at the time, so they weren't seen. Two broad swords were hung on the wall as a decoration, but as soon as Zuko had seen them, he had taken them and stuffed them into his pouch.

"Zuko! What are you doing!" whispered Iroh.

"We'll need to free the avatar with something." Zuko answered, as he used his bending to lower the lamps until it was almost completely dark to hide them. Iroh was surprised at Zuko's intelligence, because he never would have thought of that. Iroh shrugged it away and kept on walking, but was unaware of the pair of eyes that were watching them through the jar in a door.

Slowly the mysterious person crept out of the door, but the door was old and creaked, which caused Zuko and Iroh to stop dead in their tracks. Zuko used his bending to flick the lights up to full power to reveal a young man about 18 years old wearing and apron. Zuko and Iroh got into stance and prepared to fight.

"Oh thank Agni I've found you my lords!" Said the man as got on his hands and knees and bowed. Zuko and Iroh were shocked. They held back and Iroh helped the man get up, still confused that the man hadn't come to arrest them.

"Why are you not arresting us?" Questioned Iroh.

"And why did you call us 'Lords?'" Zuko added.

"Come with me please. I'll explain everything."

"We still can't trust you." Zuko said, not seeing the shadows of fire nation soldiers coming around the corner.

"Not now!" Said the man as he pushed the two into the room he had crept out of and bolted the door.

"You-"Zuko started but was stopped by the man putting his hand over his mouth. Some fire nation soldiers were right outside the door and speaking to one another. Zuko thought he heard words like 'Intruders' and 'this way' and eventually he heard them leave. The man breathed a sigh of relief, and the lit a match to light a lamp in the room. Once the man had lit a few lamps, the room started to resemble a kitchen, but it was as dirty as messy, one could only guess what was under all that stuff. Zuko shook off his thoughts, and then spoke.

"Why did you do that?"

"If didn't they would have captured you."

"But why did you help us, I mean."

"Zuko do not question our rescuer." Iroh scolded. But it annoyed Zuko that he was being told what to do by an old man six inches shorter than he.

"No it's alright. He has a right to question me." Both Zuko and Iroh looked upon the boy with interest, waiting for him to continue.

"First off, my name's Chan. And, well, to put it simply Prince Zuko, you saved my life." Zuko looked with confusion at the boy, as if he was daft.

"I don't even know you."

"Do you remember the 41st division?" Zuko paused for a second, and then replied.

"Yes." Zuko clenched his fists and closed his eyes for a brief moment. Iroh noticed this little bit of moment from his nephew and sighed, for those memories were not his favorites either.

"Well, I was a new recruit, and, as anyone, eager to fight in the fire nation army. But there was one set back. I wasn't a firebender."

"Then how did they let you into the army?" Iroh questioned.

"They said I could become part of the 41st division, which was mainly amateur benders anyway. But before we were sent off to our first battle, they held us back, by order of the firelord. I've become a cook since then, but it wasn't until later that I learned that your nephew had gotten the firelord to change his mind."

"It wasn't that simple." Zuko said as he turned away and looked towards the ground.

"I know. You made a great sacrifice, and I thank you." Chan bowed in respect.

"I don't need you're gratitude."

"Zuko give this man the respect he deserves." Zuko scowled and bowed in the same manner as Chan did, then leaned up against the wall and folded his arms.

"I didn't bring you here to thank you though. Word has spread about your little showdown with the firelord yesterday, and once I saw you I realized why you had come back." Zuko tensed, suspecting this was some sort of trap, but nevertheless waited for him to continue. "You're here to help the Avatar."

"I knew we couldn't trust you!" Zuko whispered loudly. "You're going to tell the firelord we're here!"

"No! I want to help! I believe this war has gone too far!" Zuko held back reluctantly, but still didn't trust the man.

"How can you possibly help?"

"Because I know where the Avatar is, and if you don't rescue him now they're going to lock him a special cell that is impossible to open. Then he will be lost to the world forever." This caught Zuko off guard, and he lowered his tone.

"When?"

"Within the hour."

"Then we must waste no time." Said Iroh to Chan as he unbolted the door.

"Wait." Zuko said. "Even if we do rescue the Avatar, and I teach him firebending, how will he defeat the firelord? My father is a master firebender, and even with water, airbending, and a little firebending moves, it isn't enough."

"Then what do you suppose we do?" Questioned Chan.

"What If the Avatar creates a diversion…and…I take on my father." Zuko finished confidently.

"What! Are you completely out of your mind Zuko? Haven't you learned your lesson!"

"Uncle this is my decision! I have to prove something!"

"Zuko, jeopardizing the world's safety so you can take on your father is selfish!"

"I can't live my life fearing my father! Not like you did, uncle" Iroh looked down at his feet. "I want more than that. I've done nothing as the fire nation's Prince to help my country, or the world for that matter."

"But Zuko, you could never defeat your father! You can't become firelord when you're dead!"

"I don't want to be firelord." This statement caught Iroh, and even Chan off guard. Zuko took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to tell his uncle was not something he wanted to hear.

"After you told me what really happened to my mother, it made me think about her expectations for me. I was the Prince of the Fire Nation, A job that meant protecting my country, and even stopping it if it went too far. I don't want my mother to be ashamed of me. Not anymore."

"What do mean Zuko?" Said Iroh, still in the dark about his nephew's proposition.

"Uncle. I don't expect to live. I'm going to use the forbidden art."

"WHAT! No Zuko! I won't let you!"

"What is it?" Asked Chan, who not being a firebender was in the dark about this whole thing.

"It is a form a kamikaze. The forbidden art is a firebending technique that first disables the opponent's firebending ability by disrupting their chi and distorting their breathing, which can be done by a simple blow to the chest. While the opponent is left gasping for air, the two must lock hands, and then the attacker chant a few words that build chi, and gathers them into the palms of his hands. Because of the imbalance, it also draws the opponent's chi to the palms as well. Both chi want to become one, and they leave the body in a burst of flame. So in other words—"

"It's suicidal."

"You have to understand. This is something I have to do."

"No. If anyone must do kamikaze, it will be me. You have a future ahead of you. You cannot just throw it away!"

"Throw it away! Do you know how many people have died in this war? And Agni knows how many more will die if we don't stop this. If I can end this war without anymore bloodshed, then I have to do it." Iroh sighed a long sigh and closed his eyes.

"You don't have to be the hero you know."

"I'm not trying to be."

"Zuko!" Iroh ran up to Zuko and hugged him as tears ran down his cheeks. Zuko buried his face into his uncle's shoulder and hugged him back, and even a tear ran down his cheek. Slowly they tore apart, and wiped their faces.

"Well then I guess we should go help the avatar now." Said Chan, not meaning to ruin the moment.

"Zuko, I will stay in the palace, and try to organize an invasion from the inside. Perhaps you won't have to use kamikaze." Iroh said, still knowing the chances were slim.

"Alright Uncle." Said Zuko, not wanting to crush his uncle's hopes.

"Well then let's go. Said Chan, as he opened the door and they crept out into the hallway, preparing for the worst.

"What now!" Sokka whispered to his sister. "The palace is just a labyrinth of hallway and--more hallways!"

"I'm thinking!" Katara snapped back. They had gotten out of the air vents long before, but the palace was like a maze. How were they supposed to find the prison hold, let alone Aang?

"Well? Do you have a plan?"

"Nope, but we're gonna keep searching this palace until we find Aang, no matter how long it takes. Now let's go." Said Katara as she grabbed her brother's arm and headed down a flight of stairs. They turned a few corners, then Katara led them down another flight of stairs.

"Do you have any Idea where we're going?" Sokka asked.

"Not a clue." Sokka groaned at his sister, but stopped dead in his tracks as he looked upon hundreds and hundreds of individual cells. They had found the Prison hold.

"Great. Now we found the prison hold, now how do we find Aang?" Said Sokka, always the pessimist.

"Like this. Aang! Aang where are you!" Katara yelled as she cupped her hands around her mouth. Sokka slapped his forehead obviously annoyed, but then started yelling as well.

"Aang? Hello!" He cried as he looked into the doors of countless cells. Sokka turned a corner and found an iron door with many locks and chains on it—A lot more than the other doors.

"Aang!" Sokka yelled to the door.

"Sokka!" Aang replied back. He had managed to get the handkerchief off of his mouth and was sure happy to talk again.

"Katara! I found Aang!" Katara came running down the hallway and stood next to her brother.

"Don't worry Aang! We're gonna get you out of here!" As Katara said this, Sokka took out his knife and started to saw the chains with it. But after about a minute of sawing, the chains were hardly scratched, and, ironically, the knife had taken quite a beating.

"My knife!" Whimpered Sokka as he cradled the thing like a baby in his arms. Katara rolled her eyes at her brother, then bended the water out of her flask, and tried to slice the chains with it. To do it effectively, she needed another bender, but she didn't care.

"You know, you're never going to get him out that way, peasant."

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Muuuuuahahahahahahahahahahahah!! I'm so evil!! Well you'll just have to wait for the next chappie, (which wont be as long a wait I promise) so please Review


	5. Chapter 5

Story so far…After Zuko is rejected by his father, he and his uncle escape to the forest. During that time, they realize it is the best course of action to help the Avatar, and so they head back to the palace to rescue him. Meanwhile Katara and Sokka steal Azula's ship, and head off for the Fire Nation in hope of rescuing Aang. Finally, the two groups meet at the prison cells…

Disclaimer: I own Avatar. Not.

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"You're never going to get him out that way, peasant." Katara and Sokka froze. Katara held the water she had used to bend in mid air, not daring to turn around; she didn't have to, for she recognized that raspy voice anywhere.

"Zuko." She and her brother said coldly together in unison. They both slowly turned around with dread to face the Prince they had come to revile so much. There was a man standing next to him-the one he always traveled with- and another face they didn't recognize. There was a long uncomfortable pause, with each side contemplating their next move.

"_Zuko's about 10 feet away…"_ Katara thought to herself. _"If I use my bending I should be able to-"_ The Prince took a step forward.

"Stay back!" Katara warned, her voice cracking. She tensed, and the suspended water shifted in the air, displaying her frustration. Her brother drew his knife, and assumed a battle stance, waiting for Zuko to make a move. They were both attempting to be brave, but they hadn't intimidated Zuko in the slightest; instead, it annoyed him.

"You can splash all the water you want, but it's not going to make a difference." His voice reverberated throughout the corridor, disturbing the silence. He folded his arms across his chest, knowing they would have some sort of comeback, which they did.

"You-don't underestimate me Zuko! I'm a waterbending master!" She whipped the water with one swift movement, aiming for Zuko's face. But just before the blow could make contact, he lifted his arm, summoning fire, extinguishing the attack in a thick mist of steam. Katara stepped back, perturbed that her attack had been defeated with such ease.

"Like I said, you can splash around all the water you want, but it's not going to make a difference."

"Shut up!" She had condensed the steam back into water and prepared for another attack when-

"Enough!" Iroh bellowed, startling the children. Zuko scoffed, and Katara held back with a scowl on her face. However, she refused to put the water back inside of its flask.

"Are you so eager to fight, when you have not yet heard of our intentions?"

"Intentions!" Sokka stepped forward, outraged. "You're Fire Nation! And not just any Fire Nation, you guys are the ones who put Aang in that cell!" Sokka pointed an angry finger at the cell that held Aang. "And I bet you came here to torture him too!" Iroh sighed, knowing that they would have a lot of explaining to do. But that wasn't the hard part, the hard part was getting them to listen.

"Katara. Get behind me." He held his knife in a defensive stance-although it had been damaged in an attempt to liberate Aang from his cell-and prepared to fight the retired General and the Prince.

"Sokka, I don't' need you to-"

"Katara, I'm your older brother. I'm here to protect you." Katara left it at that, not wishing to argue with her brother any longer.

"Look," Chan stepped forward realizing that the General and the Prince weren't doing such a good job of convincing the children they were on their side. "We haven't come to torture your friend. In fact, we're here to help." He finished reassuringly, attempting to help the situation.

"Who are you!" Sokka demanded, shifting his attention to the young stranger, his knife pointed to his chest. "And what did you mean by 'help'?"

"He means what he says." Iroh stated. "We're here to rescue the Avatar, and that is the truth."

"You expect us to believe that?!" Sokka argued. "You think we were born yesterday?"

"That's right." Katara agreed. "Whatever trick you guys are trying to pull, we're not falling for it."

"You know what? Forget it."

"Huh?" Everyone said as they turned their attention to the young prince who had spoken.

"I thought I was doing the right thing by helping you guys, but why offer help to someone who doesn't want it. We're leaving." Zuko ordered, turning around to leave.

"Zuko…" Iroh whispered as he went to follow his nephew. Katara and Sokka glanced at each other, flabbergasted.

"Wait!" Katara called. All three of the men turned around, and waited for the girl to continue.

"You're not going to arrest us?"

"What?" Iroh asked, a bit confused.

"Isn't that why you came? Sokka asked, finishing his sister's question.

"Of course not. We came here to do just what we said. Besides, why would we arrest you? We're fugitives ourselves. Well actually Chan isn't a fugitive because he hasn't been caught yet but still…"

"Fugitives?" This was just getting weirder by the second. She and her brother were about to free the Avatar from his cell, and just when they thought they were caught, the two people they hated the most showed up, and to help!

"I suppose you would like an explanation?"

"Yea…" Sokka said, lowering his knife. What were these three up to?

"Well, you see," Iroh began, "After delivering the Avatar to the Firelord, things did not go as planned. For defying the Firelord, we were to be put to death, however, we escaped into the woods. We thought things through, and decided that it had been a mistake to chase the Avatar this long, and it was selfish."

"So now you've come to free his to make up for it?" Katara speculated.

"Not only that, but Zuko will teach the Avatar firebending."

"What about you?" Sokka asked suspiciously.

"I will stay in the palace and try to find out as much information about my brother's plans. Then somehow I will relay that information on back to you. That way we will be able to plot an invasion, and stop the Firelord once and for all." The two children merely stared wide-eyed at the old man, hardly believing their ears. Not only were they going to help them rescue Aang, but teach him firebending, _and _help launch an invasion! It was too good to be true.

"And what's the catch?" Sokka crossed his arms across his chest, skeptical of the whole situation.

"Catch?" Iroh wondered out loud. "Consider this atonement. We are doing what we are doing because we want to. Not because of personal gain. Although…" The retired general stroked his beard as he glanced at his nephew. "In the event that the Firelord is defeated, Zuko will ascend the throne."

"Aha!" Sokka shouted. "I knew it! You're only doing this because you want to be Firelord!"

"Shut your mouth you water tribe peasant!"

"Stop!" Iroh stepped in-between the two boys to avoid a fight. "I believe that is enough." The two boys backed away from each other with a growl. "This is getting us nowhere." Iroh turned his around to face Katara, who at least seemed to have some temperament.

"Young lady, I am not asking you or your brother to fully trust us, neither do I expect you to. However, the fate of the world is in jeopardy. I only ask that you put aside your hatred for a little while so that the Avatar may be saved." Katara looked deep into his eyes for a few seconds. He was telling the truth. She stepped forward, then spoke.

"I-I trust you. Please, rescue Aang."

"What!" Sokka whipped around to face his sister. "But you-"

"Sokka." Katara gave her brother a piercing glare. Finally, the young warrior sighed, admitting his sister was right.

"So how do you plan to get Aang out of that cell?" Katara asked, pointing to the metal prison.

"Like this." Zuko walked up to the door, twirling a ring of keys around his index finger.

"How did he-" Chan patted himself all over, feeling for the keys he had had in his possession a moment before. "That kid…"

"Move." Zuko commanded of the water tribe boy, who stood in front of the door. Sokka only glared at the Prince, not budging.

"Sokka." Katara nudged her brother, who slid to the side reluctantly, his eyes still cold towards the Prince.

After using what looked like every single key on the key chain, every lock was finally off. He pulled open the heavy Iron door, revealing a dark and damp cell, running rampant with rodents. Cobwebs adorned its every crevice, a result of years of neglect. The, they saw, crouched in a corner, the Avatar, bound from head to foot with chains. His eyes brightened at the sight of his beloved friend, and he called out to her.

"Katara!"

"Aang!" She ran into the cell and embraced her friend, tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

"It's great to see you Katara." He said warmly, with the conviction that he had been on some sort of vacation that whole time and not a prisoner in the Fire Nation.

"Aang." She hugged him again, causing the boy to blush.

"Katara?"

"Hmm?"

"Umm…" Aang drew attention to the iron chains that held him.

"Oh!" Katara blushed, a bit ashamed she'd forgotten about them. "Zuko? Could you-" Before she could finish, Zuko had already slashed off the chains, letting them fall limply to the floor.

"Thanks…" Katara said, a bit alarmed. _He had those with him the whole time…? I really need to be careful when I'm around him.._

"Aang! Glad to see you're alright!" Sokka said with a grin, but his grin turned into a frown once he laid eyes on the prince. Zuko rolled his eyes and walked up to the bald monk.

"I-"

"You don't have to say anything, I heard just about everything." Zuko blinked, a bit surprised. "And…I want to thank you." He put his fist to his palm and bowed respectfully. Zuko stared at Aang with awe. Was it really that easy to gain someone's trust? He knew if he had been in the same situation, he would have been even less trusting than the Water Tribe boy.

"Don't thank me just yet. We have to escape from here in one piece."

"Right. I know a secret passage we can use to escape." Chan announced. "Follow me."

"Wait." Zuko said. "We can escape the same way we came. The air vents."

"Air vents…? I never thought of that. Can we fit?

"Yes. It's large enough for everybody to fit through."

"Oh. Well, then I guess we can use the air vents instead. Although I really wanted to use the secret passage…"

"Alright, let's go. Uncle."

"Right." Iroh cupped his hands together to provide a ledge for Zuko to lift himself up on in order to reach the vents above them. Zuko took a step and jumped up, using his uncle's shoulders to stand on. He pulled off the vent cover, expecting Sokka-who stood directly beneath him-to catch it. But instead Sokka stood idly by, allowing the vent cover to fall with a loud "Clang!"

"You idiot! Now everyone will know that we're here!"

"How was I supposed to know you wanted me to catch it!"

"I don't think it would have mattered." Katara stated, "After all the yelling and fighting that's been going on I'm surprised the guards haven't shown up yet." Just as Sokka was about to retort, the sound of guards speaking was heard.

"I think the sound came from over there." An anonymous voice echoed down the corridor.

"Come on! I'll boost you up and Zuko will help you into the vents!" Iroh said in a loud whisper. One by one the children were helped up, until only Iroh and Chan remained.

"Come on Uncle, I'll help you up." Zuko stretched out his hand, but his Uncle refused.

"Remember our agreement?"

"Uncle-" The shadow of guards was seen bending around the hallway, causing Iroh to become frantic.

"I will be fine! Go!" Iroh tossed Zuko the vent cover, who almost dropped it.

"Yea we'll be okay." Chan reassured. Zuko looked at his Uncle a few moments longer, feeling deep down that that might be the last time he would ever see his uncle. He finally fixed the cover into place, wondering what would become of his guardian. No, he was more than that. He _was_ his father.

They crawled through the vents, coughing and hacking their way through. It didn't seem to effect Zuko much, who, having grownup around that sort of environment, didn't seem to have trouble breathing in the smoke. They came to several dead ends, but after what seemed like almost an hour, they finally made it outside. Aang, Sokka, and Katara lay sprawled, panting in the grass, while Zuko surveyed the landscape.

"Come on. We can camp in that forest over there for now." Zuko pointed to a large cluster of green about of quarter of a mile away. "We don't want to be in the public eye, so it's best we not stay close to the city."

"Yea," Aang gasped, as he slowly got to his feet, followed by the two siblings.

"Wait a minute! What about Appa and Momo! Are they alright?!" He asked franticly, suddenly remembering his animal friends.

"Don't worry Aang, they're safe in the for—what a second! We're gonna have to live with you?!" Sokka pointed a giant finger at the prince, who sneered.

"Sokka, how _else _do you expect Aang to learn firebending?"

"But Katara-"

"Let's go." Katara took hold of her brother's arm, leading him forcibly. So, together, with a new addition to the group, they headed off into the forest.

--

What do you think? I started this story when I was 12, and now I'm 14. (I feel old!) There is a perfectly logical explanation as to why it took so long for me to update my story, so here it is a nutshell: I write all my fanfictions in a spiral notebook, in fact I had written the next 5-6 chapters (and I had written about 4 different versions of how to write this chapter). But then something happened. I LOST THE NOTEBOOK. That pretty much discouraged me to all end, and I considered not continuing the story. But then (after like a year) I decided what the heck and I rewrote it. So please please please please review!!


	6. Chapter 6

Wow. After reading back my old chapters of this story which were written when I was twelve, (chapters 1-4) I realize how immature as a writer I was. A lot of the dialogue was random and awkward, and Zuko was waaay OOC. I think I also lacked on a lot of descriptions too. I guess it just shows how I've grown in these past two years as a writer. I considered re-writing them to my current standards, because I want this story to show the best of my ability, but I'm not sure. If you guys think I should re-write them, then let me know. Anyway, I won't hold you any longer, so go ahead and read!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did Zuko and Katara would be together!!

* * *

It didn't take very long to find a suitable campsite, and it wasn't long after they had gotten camp set up when Aang began to blow fervently at his bison whistle—which hadn't been confiscated—to locate his friend. After a few minutes of constant blowing, the bison could be seen overhead, and it carefully lowered itself to the ground. Aang, Sokka, and Katara all rushed up to meet it, but Zuko merely stared at the animal. He was leaning up against a rock, his arms crossed against his chest, a frown plastered on his face.

"What is that thing?" Zuko said, still refusing to get up from where he comfortably sat to greet the giant animal.

"His name's Appa," Aang answered, "And he'll be your mode of transportation from now on." He petted the animal on its side and smiled. Suddenly Momo jumped off of the saddle and clamored all over Aang's shoulders, chattering wildly.

"Momo!" Aang giggled and attempted to pet the lemur as well, but Momo was still much too excited about seeing Aang to stay still.

"Great, just what we needed. A yak and a monkey." Zuko grumbled.

"Hey! Appa's a bison and Momo's a lemur." Katara intervened before Aang could have a chance to speak.

"What. Ever." It would be hard enough to find food as it was, and that meant that they couldn't spare any of it for the animals. And he was positive that the flying bison would eat twice as much as all of them together in one sitting. Zuko sighed, then stood up slowly and stretched. _Looks like I'll have to do the hunting around here… _Zuko thought as he took his broad swords out of their sack.

"I'm going hunting. If I'm lucky I'll catch a rabbit or two."

"I'll go too." Katara offered, but the way she said it made it sound more like a demand. She really just wanted to get some time to talk with the prince, and perhaps get to know him better. So far he'd been very standoff-ish, and hadn't really talked at all. If they were going to be living together for the next month or so, it would be good to know a little about him, so at least conversations wouldn't be so awkward. Katara smiled at Zuko, expecting an affirmative.

Zuko looked at Katara and frowned.

"No."

Katara stared with bewilderment at Zuko as he turned around and headed into the forest.

"What? Why not!" Zuko decided to ignore the girl and keep walking. "Wait! You can't do that!" Zuko stopped and turned around, feeling very annoyed.

"And why not? Are you afraid I'll run away and tell my dad that the Avatar is here?" Zuko accused of the Water tribe girl. Aang and Sokka both exchanged worried glances, knowing that if something wasn't done soon, the two hotheaded teenagers would both be brawling.

"That isn't—ˮ

"Look. Even if I did wanted to go back, my father would probably kill me, so you don't have to worry about your _precious_ Avatar!"

"Why you—! ˮ

"**Good—bye**." Zuko said, the finality that the conversation was now officially ended clear in his tone. Then he stalked into the forest, leaving Katara steaming.

"Go ahead! See if I care! I hope a platypus-bear eats you!" She yelled into the trees, cupping her hands around her mouth. When she heard no response, she let out a frustrated sigh and stomped away, leaving Aang and Sokka bemused.

"What was that all about?" Aang finally asked, petting the lemur that now rested calmly on his shoulder, apparently not affected by the yelling that had previously taken place.

"I dunno. Maybe it's because she's finally found someone who can out-argue her." Sokka shrugged.

"Do you know where she went?"

"Who knows? Probably to tell Zuko off."

"But she went in the opposite direction." Aang pointed out.

"Whatever." Sokka yawned, obviously feeling quite lightly of the situation.

Aang and Sokka stood there a few moments longer, fidgeting and looking around the small clearing, clearly devoid of anything interesting to say.

"So…what do we do now?" Aang asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Sokka merely shrugged.

Zuko cleared away a branch with his broad sword—being careful to only use his right hand, for his left hand was still injured—then used a series of complicated movements to clear a tree straight out of his path. The branches fell with a startling crash. What he was really doing was making it impossible for anyone to follow him, whether it would be enemies or that Water Tribe girl. The Water Tribe girl…what was her name…? He'd never bothered to ask. Not like it really mattered, for it was the boy—The Avatar—whom he'd be training. But still…why did that girl want so badly to go hunting with him? Did she really trust him that little? Well, not like he could blame her, after all that he did to them, but even so, he had hoped she would know better than to think he would run off and betray them.

_**Crash!**_

Another tree fell. He stepped over it and continued into the forest. He had also been marking the trees with his blade every so often, for he couldn't afford to get lost in these woods. Years ago, when he was still a child living in the palace, he ran away and went into the woods after being beaten by his father for failing to master his firebending techniques successfully. He had been ashamed of himself for disappointing his father, and didn't want anyone to see him cry—not even his mother. He had gotten lost of course, and it was days until the guards finally found him—scared to death and nearly starving. Unlike his father, his mother had been worried sick about him, and instead of punishing him for running away, she held him in her arms, crying tears of joy and whispering words of reassurance in his ears. His mother had always loved and protected him, and now he only wished he could have somehow protected her…

Zuko shook his head to clear his mind of the troubling thoughts, and continued forward. He decided to stop destroying the trees, because he figured that anyone worth fighting would see through his ruse anyway. He stood still for a long minute, listening for any signs of a rabbit, or perhaps even a squirrel. Then, suddenly he heard a soft rustling in the bushes and a small white rabbit hopped out. The rabbit didn't appear to have sensed Zuko yet, and so continued to sniff the air, oblivious to the young firebender approaching with his swords ready. Zuko quickly swung his sword, slitting the rabbit's throat quickly and painlessly. One rabbit would barely be enough for the four of them, (Forget it if the animals were eating) but he didn't care. If the Avatar and his friends didn't find the rabbit substantial, they could go hunting for themselves.

Holding the rabbit by its ears, he followed the trail of markings he'd left until he neared the camp. He stopped when he reached the edge of the forest, and stopped shy of entering into the clearing. The children couldn't see him, he was sure, and the Water Tribe girl was nowhere to be found. She'd probably stormed off somewhere. Not that he cared. Zuko then sighed, for it had been a trying day. Finally, after much deliberation, Zuko decided to head off into the forest to meditate, He was sure he'd heard the rushing of water somewhere nearby. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about the cool breeze and sound of rushing water that put him at ease. With that in mind, he turned to go towards the water, throwing the dead rabbit into the clearing for the kids to eat.

Sokka sat with his back against a rock, (clearly quite bored) whittling a piece of wood.

"ACK!" Sokka was knocked onto the ground after apparently being hit in the side of the head with a dead white rabbit.

Katara stormed off into the woods, angry and frustrated. All she'd wanted was to go hunting with Zuko to get to know him better, but he'd flat out said no!

"Jerk." Katara mumbled to herself as she cleared a branch out of her path. She didn't care where she was going, so long as she was away from _him_. She eventually began to hear the sound of water nearby, and so decided to follow it. She didn't mind doing some waterbending right about now. She could make little ice sculptures of Zuko and then crush them. Yes, that would make her feel much better. As Katara prepared to step out from behind the trees to near the shore of the river, she stopped dead in her tracks.

There, sitting cross-legged on a rock with his eyes closed was none other than Zuko. She held her breath for a few seconds as her heart skipped a beat. She'd come here to get away from Zuko, and she'd run right into him! She noticed that there was a small fire going, and the lowering and rising was in sync with his breathing. He hadn't moved, so apparently he hadn't noticed her yet. Katara decided to study the prince further, forgetting completely the rage she had previously felt towards him. She could only see the right side of his face, for he was turned so that she only saw a profile view. She watched his expression closely, and saw for the first time, it wasn't strained or contorted with rage. It didn't even have the customary scowl. He actually looked peaceful, and at ease. Katara also took note of his sharp and handsome features, for she couldn't see the huge scar that plagued the other side of his face. _Wait…handsome? Where did that come from?_ A voice in Katara's mind said. As Katara studied more closely, she realized that he was indeed handsome; She just never paid attention to his looks when she was running for her life. Katara shook her head of those thoughts. She'd come to the stream to waterbend, not scrutinize the spoiled prince. So what if he was handsome? That didn't make him any less of a jerk.

Katara finally stepped forward, and decided to alert the prince of her presence.

"I thought you were supposed to be hunting?" Katara asked.

Zuko opened one amber eye and frowned.

"Why did you follow me?" Zuko demanded, standing up from where he sat. The small fire he'd built grew hotter and larger.

"I didn't follow you, Your Highness." Katara said mockingly. "I came here to waterbend and then I found _you_ here." Zuko stared at her for a few moments and then scowled.

"Well, I'm meditating, so leave." Katara looked at him with disbelief. He wasn't serious.

"You can't make me leave! You leave!"

"I was here first!"

"Well—well—you can meditate anywhere! This is the only river I know of!"

"Well that's your problem!" Both teenagers were steaming, and neither was backing down.

"I'll fight you for it then!" Katara yelled, the anger she had felt for Zuko earlier coming back. "I know you've been wanting to spar with me for a while."

"Fight you?" Zuko repeated with disbelief.

"Yes! Whoever wins gets rights to this river for the rest of the week. Sounds fair?" Zuko thought about it for a few moments and then smiled. Fine. He'd fight the Water Tribe girl. It would be a good way to get rid of a lot of the stress he'd been feeling lately anyway.

"Sounds fair." Zuko sunk into his firebending stance, and Katara into her waterbending stance. They circled each other for a few seconds, and then the battle began.

Zuko shot fireballs out of his fists in clear precise movements, while Katara bended the water out of the river to block the attacks, leaving a burst of steam where the fireballs had been aimed. She quickly condensed the steam turning them into ice daggers, then sent them flying towards Zuko. The projectiles pinned the prince to the tree behind him, but he quickly melted the daggers with a burst of flame.

Jumping into the air, Zuko performed a flaming kick, which sent huge flames hurtling in Katara's direction. She dodged the flames with a roll to the side, then bended more water out of the river to create a giant wave. As she rode the wave forwards, Zuko scaled the tree behind him all the way to the top to avoid the wave, but it was too large, and so covered the tree, and Zuko in the process. But he wasn't finished yet. He quickly got up and began a series of complicated acrobatic movements, sending barrages of fire in Katara's direction. Some she dodged and some she blocked, but he was too fast. She didn't have anytime to attack him, because she was too busy stopping the fire from reaching her.

Finally his combos stopped, and both were panting heavily. After a few moments—when they'd caught their breath—they ran towards each other, this time resorting to hand-to-hand contact. Katara swiped her foot in a roundhouse kick, but Zuko blocked it easily with his forearm. Katara punched, Zuko ducked. It went on like this quite a while, neither of them getting any hits in. Zuko hadn't even tried attacking Katara, (perhaps he felt bad about hitting a girl) And Katara hadn't even landed one blow. But as the battle progressed, Katara began to notice that Zuko was hardly using his left hand at all. _A weakness perhaps…?_ This would be Katara's only chance. She gave up using hand-to-hand combat, and decided to bend some water out of the river to attack with. Zuko decided to go back to bending as well, so he readied his fire daggers.

They both backed away from each other—Katara holding her water in mid air, and Zuko with his fire daggers, both ready to attack. And although neither would admit it, they were enjoying themselves. It was exciting to spar with a bender of a different element, especially one who was a formidable opponent.

"You're pretty good." Zuko admitted as he inched closer.

"You're not bad yourself. But I think it's about time we ended this."

"I agree completely." Zuko and Katara ran up towards each other, but this time, Katara aimed for Zuko's left arm. Before Zuko could realize what was happening, the blow landed right where Zuko had gotten burned. Zuko yelled out in pain, and clutched his arm, letting his fire daggers go out. He stumbled backwards, but lost his balance when the back of his foot hit a rock, and he went plunging into the river.

"Zuko!" She hadn't realized she'd hit him _that_ hard. Katara rushed over to the edge of the river, but Zuko hadn't broken the surface of the water and was nowhere to be found. "Oh no!" Katara quickly stripped down to her wrappings then dove into the river to find the prince. She swam deep beneath the surface, looking around for any signs of Zuko. Finally she spotted his ponytail, and so pulled him up to the surface. She dragged him onto the grass, panting and gasping for air. He was unconscious, Katara observed, and blood was seeping through his left sleeve.

Katara decided to see about the arm later and just work on getting the water out of his lungs. She opened his mouth, then lifted her hand, pulling out the water from the prince's lungs. Once the water came out, he woke up with a start, and started coughing heavily. Katara stood up to go fetch her clothes—for she couldn't bear to have Zuko see her half naked like this—but stopped when a hand pulled her back.

"Wait." Zuko said in a raspy voice, still raw from all the coughing. "Thanks." Katara blushed and looked at the ground, a warm feeling welling up inside of her.

"Um…you're welcome. Even though it was kinda my fault…" Katara trailed off.

"Yea… but…you saw my weakness and exploited it, which is what any firebender would have done."

"Now you're making me feel worse."

"What?" Zuko didn't understand how that could make her feel worse. It was a compliment in his eyes anyway.

"Never mind." Katara sighed, and then spoke.

"I didn't know I'd hurt you that bad." Zuko paused before answering.

"It wasn't you."

"But—ˮ Zuko quickly rolled up his sleeve and took off the strip of cloth that had been bandaging the wound, exposing the injury. Katara gasped. The skin was red and blistered, and around his wrist was black and blue with bruises. And in some places, where the skin had broken, blood was coming out.

"Being hit with water doesn't cause burns." Zuko said quietly. He started to pull the sleeve down, but Katara's gentle hand stopped him.

"Let me heal it."

"Heal it?"

"Yes. I can heal wounds using my waterbending. Will you let me see it?" Zuko studied her for a few moments, a bit taken aback by the generous offer. As if to reassure him, Katara smiled warmly, her blue eyes twinkling. There was so much compassion and understanding in those eyes. How could he say no? Finally, Zuko nodded, and handed over his arm to be inspected.

"It looks pretty bad. What happened?" Katara asked as she bended some water out of the river and covered her hands with them. Zuko looked out towards the river, ignoring the girl's question. Katara frowned. Apparently it must have been something bad.

"Fine." She said as he bended the water onto Zuko's forearm. The water began to glow a bright blue, and the wounds slowly began to close up. The redness and the blisters also faded away, causing Zuko to stare in amazement. Then the glow began to fade, and the water dripped off of Zuko's now perfect arm.

"See? Good as new." Katara said confidently as she watched Zuko flex his arm a few times to make sure the pain was gone, and it was.

"Your welcome." Katara said, crossing her arms.

"Oh…um…thank Takar—ˮ

"Katara." She corrected.

"Right." Zuko pulled down his sleeve, then picked up the sack with his broad swords and slung it over his back.

"We should head back to camp. They'll be wondering where we are." Zuko said. "But, before we do that, you um…might want to…" Zuko pointed to the pile of blue clothes lying in the grass.

* * *

Ugh, long…chapter….well, I guess I owe it to you guys, since I haven't updated this story since last year. Hehe…So what do you think? I got in a little bit of Zutara in there for ya. But don't worry, there will be a lot more where that came from. Sorry it took so long to get the Zutara thing going on, but hopefully you'll forgive me. and please review!


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